A Charmed Life
by mum-to-you
Summary: Arthur has made Hogwarts history, but Molly is the only other person who knows about it. What is this history-making achievement they have to keep secret? Ron would go spare if he knew. Insignificant OotP spoiler. Fluffy and, well, charming.


A Charmed Life

Seventeen-year-old Arthur Weasley had recently made Hogwarts history, but only he and his girlfriend Molly Prewett would ever know this. Arthur was an affable young man, not at all inclined to bragging or drawing attention to himself, but he was also possessed of a rather waggish sense of humor that he reserved almost exclusively for his closest friends. These very characteristics had led to his generally being underestimated by others. This, however, was quite misleading. The fact was, he was absolutely brilliant at Charms. Hence his making history, however unheralded the occasion.

So brilliant was he, in fact, that tiny Professor Flitwick, the new Charms Master, had thrown up his hands about two months into Arthur's seventh year and declared that he had nothing more to teach the boy. The history-making event in question, however, was not one to be shared with Professor Flitwick, or any other teacher, Arthur thought with a wry grin on his freckled face. Uncharacteristically self-satisfied, he drew the coverlet of the bed in the dormitory at the top of the Gryffindor Tower up over his bare legs and tucked it in firmly. And just what was so spectacularly history-making about that? Well, it wasn't the boys' dormitory, was it?

As it would happen, Arthur Weasley was now the only boy in the entire history of the school to get past one of the powerfully and intricately charmed staircases that led to the various girls' dormitories. Several counter-spells of his own invention had both silenced the klaxon alarum and forced the stone stairs to remain stationary so he and Molly could sneak up to her room. Arthur tucked the coverlet around Molly's shoulders as she lay sleeping in the crook of his right arm and kissed her gently on the top of the head. He was confident that he could charm just about anything, but he felt it was only by a phenomenal stroke of luck that he had managed to charm Molly, and he had done it entirely without magic.

_I could get used to this_, Arthur thought to himself, and he smiled down at Molly. The problem with their still being students was all the necessary, but ridiculous, sneaking around, which was made all the more complicated by the fact that Arthur was a prefect and Molly was Head Girl. Stolen moments in secret places did not make one feel particularly mature about things, but that lofty sentiment had never actually stopped them. _Not for one moment_, he mused.

It was Boxing Day, and most of the school were still away for the Christmas holidays. A couple of Arthur's dormitory mates were at Hogwarts for the hols, and later they would no doubt rag him mercilessly. _That, however, was jealousy talking_, he thought smugly. Molly's roommates, on the other hand, were all gone, and that's what had given them this simply extraordinary opportunity, one that they had not let go untaken. Arthur held Molly a little tighter and decided he very much liked spending the whole night together and waking up with her beside him. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine--

His hand clutched the one remaining gift he had for Molly, and in a moment of blind panic, he willed his heart to stop beating so wildly lest the drumming of it wake her up. He felt her hand slide across his chest and knew she was stirring. He set the small box on the bedside table and held her close. She looked up at him with a warm smile, and he smiled back.

He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to his. She sucked in her breath sharply at the same time Arthur became uncomfortably aware that he really wished he had some way to clean to his teeth. He kissed her quickly and decided that there were certain aspects of real life that were not touched upon in romance stories or the Muggle cinema, of which he was inordinately fond. Molly giggled and kissed his chest, then ran a hand through her auburn tangles and said, "I must look a fright."

"You look ravishing. And not a little ravished," he replied with a smirk. He buried his face in her tousled hair and breathed deeply. She always smelled faintly of cinnamon and vanilla, and this morning, there was also a hint of good, old-fashioned sex. This, he thought hopefully to himself, is what home should smell like. "Molly," he said softly, "I want to wake up like this every morning."

She laughed and replied, "Marlene and the other girls might be a tad awkward with that, love."

"Oh, I know not now. After school is over. Soon."

She laughed again. "I can't feature my father being any more chuffed about it, Arthur."

Arthur felt the panic rising to his throat again, and he swallowed thickly. Then he looked down into Molly's eyes and saw nothing but love. At that precise moment, he wondered what in the world he thought he was afraid of. This was going to be cake, and he knew it.

"Who invited him?" he chuckled. He picked up the small box from the nearby table, then rolled over onto his right side with his head propped up on his hand and placed the box on her midriff. He took her hand, looked her in the eye, and spoke with surprising assurance, "Molly, I have absolutely nothing to offer you except my love, but I hope you know you have that unswervingly and completely. Will you marry me?"

Molly just stared. After several minutes of silence, tears began to course down her face. Arthur had known Molly a very long time, and there was just a handful of times that he had ever known her to be speechless. He also knew that he had been responsible for all of them, so he wasn't daunted in the least. He smiled at her and murmured softly, "Blank stare, nothing to say, crying your eyes out. I suppose that's a yes, then?" Molly looked over at him and silently nodded her head. Then she smiled.

As Arthur opened the small box, he commented, "It isn't fancy, I know. But it was my great-great-grandmother's, and it's been handed down through four generations. Five now, I guess. That's a tradition in my family for oldest boys, so I really want you to have it." The ring he slipped on Molly's finger was set with a sprinkling of tiny garnets swirled with seed pearls. Simple, honest, charming. Obviously an heirloom.

Molly gasped. "Arthur, it is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen in my life. It's perfect." Except, of course, for the fact that it was much too large for Molly's tiny hand. Arthur reached over for his wand, tapped the ring, and whispered, _"Minima." _Immediately the ring shrank to fit Molly's finger. Arthur picked up her hand and kissed it. He looked into her eyes and was overcome with a desire to kiss her thoroughly and soundly. "Bugger," he laughed, "I've just decided I love everything about you this morning!" And kiss her, he did. He figured that if that were the worst thing they ever had to go through, they'd have a charmed life indeed.


End file.
